Citizen Science Programs

Watching birds is more popular than ever! Tens of thousands of Canadians share their energy, skill, and bird observations through Bird Studies Canada's bird surveys. These "Citizen Scientists" provide a tremendous service by volunteering their time to track the health of bird populations.

Research and Conservation

Using data from our targeted research initiatives and Citizen Science programs, and in collaboration with conservation partners, our scientists monitor bird population trends, investigate declines, and recommend actions to protect the health of ecosystems we all depend on.

Help Us Conserve Canada’s Birds

You can play an important role in conserving Canada's wild birds! Bird Studies Canada supporters provide charitable donations as well as making
valuable Citizen Science contributions. Our nationwide programs are focused on the highest-priority conservation needs for birds.

Alberta Nocturnal Owl Survey

In the past few decades there
has been increasing concern over the status of both diurnal and
nocturnal raptors. Birds of prey are high on the food chain, making
them vulnerable to many environmental factors, such as toxicants
(e.g., DDT, Carbofuran) as well as habitat loss. As such, they may be
valuable indicators of environmental health and many species of
raptors have been chosen as indicator species in various regions.
Information on distribution, abundance, and population trends of owl
species is required for developing sound conservation strategies,
identifying species in need of particular conservation action, and
evaluating the effectiveness of current management programs. Most
species of nocturnal owls are poorly monitored by existing
multi-species surveys, such as the Breeding Bird Survey, Migration
Monitoring, and Christmas Bird Counts.

Broadcast surveys are one of
the most widely used techniques to locate and survey owls. Owls
vocalize to communicate with their mates and delineate territory.
Imitating or broadcasting tape recordings of owl vocalizations can
invoke vocal responses from many species of owls. The purpose of the
Alberta Nocturnal Owl survey is to collect information to help
determine status of species, and to act as an early warning signal if
populations are declining.

The goals of this program are
to:

obtain information on
distribution of nocturnal owls in Alberta,

estimate relative
abundance of owls

collect information that
will lead to estimating population trends of nocturnal owls at
regional and provincial scales, as well as contribute to a North
America-wide program.

determine habitat
associations of nocturnal owls.

Volunteers are needed to help
run owl surveys during March, April, and early May. Only two nights
(approximately two hours each night) are required for these surveys.
The volunteer needs to provide their own vehicle (or mode of
transportation) and can supply their own ghetto blaster or borrow one
from our supply. A tape or CD will be provided with the calls of owls
and a monitoring manual will be provided. Volunteers can also apply
for tax relief on mileage incurred during this work.